At the Fair
by exileena
Summary: Liam connects with his younger side.
1. Orphans

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Liam, Sandoval, Da'an, Zo'or or any other characters that belong to whoever owns the rights to Earth:Final Conflict. All I have is a mortgage on the plot, which I hope will pan out.

**Summary:** Liam connects with his younger side.

**At the Fair**

"Sandoval, security is now being covered by Volunteer Unit 17 until 1500 hours. I'm off duty." Liam watched his father's sneer as he reported in. He'd been at the orphanage and surrounding area since 6 a.m. this morning preparing for today's appearance by Da'an and Zo'or. Intelligence had indicated that today's event was a possible target by an extremist Resistance cell. Liam had been able to stop the attack through his own channels but of course could not tell anyone. Security had been doubled, with no complaints from anyone about the overtime. No one liked it when kids were put in danger, especially not these kids. They'd all been orphaned by the portal blackouts and Da'an had taken personal interest in their wellbeing.

"Yes, yes Major be back on schedule to return Da'an and Zo'or to the mothership." Liam just grinned cheerfully, knowing how much that annoyed Sandoval. He always acted like he took offense to the fact that Liam didn't work 24/7 like most Companion Protectors seemed to do. _Of course, since I don't have a CVI to steer all my thoughts to the Taelons, I only put in the overtime I can't get away from. My 'other' job takes up the rest of the time. I wonder what Doors face would look like if I pointed out that he's in violation of child labor laws._ Liam smirked to himself. _Probably the same expression Zo'or would have. It's quite scary how alike they can be._ Suddenly depressed at the thought, Liam decided to take the long way out of the area.

Liam walked the empty halls of the orphanage. The children were outside along with the set up rides and entertainers Da'an had wanted. He'd told Liam the day before that however traumatic events in their lives might be, they were still children and needed fun as their species knew it. To Da'an that meant clowns and merry-go-rounds. Who knows where he had learned such things.

He had tried hard to ignore the compassion in the Companion's eyes as he talked. It had been obvious that Da'an realized he was the first one to speak of such things to the hybrid. While Lili and Augur acted as foster parents to him, they didn't quite know how to handle a five month old alien foster son that looked to be in his early thirties. It was hard for them to look past his 'public' persona as a deadly companion protector working for the Liberation.

Liam didn't know how to ask for the things he needed that didn't fit his public image. He didn't know how to ask for desperately needed reassurance when his mother died that he wouldn't lose them too. He didn't know how to handle his own tears in the middle of the night when he woke from nightmares.

He knew Augur believed that he hated and was afraid of his kimera abilities. In many conversations with the man, Augur always spoke of his unique heritage as just a personal distinction, something that made him special but not bad. It was true he was afraid of hurting someone by losing control, but he wasn't afraid of his kimera side in and of itself. It was a part of him. He also didn't hate being a hybrid, just the fact that being one had robbed him of his childhood. Sometimes he dreamed that he was a normal human kid but most times, he dreamed he was a kimeran hybrid that looked and acted like a child, and treated as one as well. In his heart, it was all he wanted.

A twinge in his palms, no his shaquarava, made him stop, jerking him out of his thoughts. Absently he scratched as he looked around, not recognizing where he was in the orphanage. He'd lost all awareness of his surroundings, something he'd had to guard against lately.

The twinge suddenly grew to a sting. As Liam flexed his hands trying to relieve the pressure, the feeling continued to increase in intensity. Examining his hands, Liam couldn't see anything visibly wrong. Still, he'd never experienced anything like this before. It felt like an energy buildup, which he had happened before such as when he revived Augur, but that time he could tell the healing energy was going to release externally. He could think of no better explanation but that the current buildup felt directed inward. Looking around Liam rushed into the restroom a couple meters ahead to get out of public sight. Whatever was about to happen, he didn't want anyone to see.


	2. Shaquarava

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Earth: Final Conflict_ or any of its characters. Just my poor widdle plot.

**A/N: **Thanks for the lovely reviews **Lady of the Dawn** and **Amareina**!

**At the Fair**

In the restroom, Liam staggered to lean against the back wall. The stinging in his shaquarava started to spread to the rest of his hands, slowly moving up his arms. Taking deep breaths, Liam concentrated on his body, trying to make sense of what was happening.

As if his focus was a catalyst, the energy moving up his arms rushed through his limbs and throughout his body. Growing in intensity, the energy saturated every cell, connecting with every strand of his triple-helix DNA. Unable to support himself, Liam fell to the floor, spasming.

He could tell that it wasn't damaging, that in fact the energy was healing some instability in himself, damage that he hadn't been aware of, consciously. Dr. Parks had him coming by once a month but hadn't noticed anything unusual. He'd been a bit tired lately but nothing that he didn't think could be explained by stress and grief. Evidently he'd been wrong.

Now feeling pain, Liam held back the scream in his throat. Everywhere it hurt. He could no longer tell what was happening inside, was not in fact aware of anything but the pain. Finally, Liam blacked out.

&-&-&-&

When he came to, Liam immediately sensed that something was different. The pain was gone but something had changed. Opening his eyes, he saw he was still in the restroom and he was still alone. No one, it appears, had heard anything that needed to be checked out, which was good since Liam couldn't remember if he'd screamed out loud there at the end. It was only when he stood up that Liam got an inkling of what was wrong.

Slowly, getting his legs steadied, Liam made his way to the sink. There, he looked in mirror above it, confirming his suspicions. Looking back at him, much shorter then five minutes ago, was a boy, approximately nine years old.

Himself.


	3. Fitting In

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Earth: Final Conflict_ or any of its characters. Just my poor widdle plot.

**A/N: **I'm so sorry this took so long. The next part won't take nearly as long.

**At the Fair**

Liam didn't know how long he just stood there looking in the mirror. Yes, he resented his loss of any type of childhood, but with the possibility literally staring him in the face, he was terrified.

He didn't _how_ to be a child!

Da'an and Zo'or were expecting him later in the afternoon to return them to the mothership. Heck, he was supposed to meet Door and Lili within the hour for a security update on several Taelon facilities the Liberation had put under surveillance. Now was not the time to irritate Jonathan Doors by missing a meeting.

Ever since he'd turned down the presidential candidacy announced on television by his son, Doors had lost whatever patience he'd had for Liam. He expected another attempt on his life by Doors any day now. As it was, Liam tried to stay out of Doors sight and just give his reports to Lili or even Augur. Today though, Doors wanted info directly from Liam or as he would always sarcastically put it, Major Kincaid. He never called Liam by his first name, the one part of his identity that was really his.

The facilities were strictly under Zo'or and Sandoval, black projects, which with the Taelons was saying something. Liam was out of the loop for the most part and had barely gotten acknowledgement that the buildings existed! All he knew about the system they were under was that-

What did he know? It was on the edge of his mind, tip-of-the-tongue syndrome. Liam tried to remember any detail about his report for Doors but it wouldn't come to him. It was similar to how some of his parents' memories were there, but out of reach, but it couldn't be. These were _his_ memories! Considering how much in his head originally came from others, those thoughts and experiences that were his alone were sacred to the hybrid.

If he was missing such recent knowledge, what else could be gone that he didn't even realize? Something was wrong, his new stature told him that but did it go so beyond the physical that he was losing his mind?

_Okay, time to stop panicking._ This was another thing. He never panicked; he wouldn't survive if he did. Any such reaction would have gotten him a reserved spot in the interrogation rooms on the mother ship, with Zo'or in a front row seat. Da'an and Lili wouldn't be able to help him and his own father would –

_First things first, clothes,_ he thought as he pants started toward his ankles, stopping the nightmare flashing through his mind. What had once fit now wouldn't stay in place. His shirt refused to stay on both shoulders, baring his collar bone and his pants wanted to head south. With one hand holding them up, Liam made for the door, staggering a bit on his shorter legs. He'd get used to them soon. He was adaptable. He'd adapt and hopefully be back to normal in no time. Yes, positive thoughts were good.

Opening the door, Liam poked his head out to see if it was safe to come out. It was. Quickly, Liam stepped out the door, wanting to find cover quickly., but unfortunately tripping as his pants fell over his feet instead. Hiking them way up, he made his way down the hall looking for a stairwell. If he remembered correctly, the children's rooms were upstairs. There, on the left. Liam zeroed in on the door. Hearing voices coming around the corner behind him, Liam broke into a run. Slamming into the door, he stepped back, tore it open and quickly stepped in. Liam then pulled it shut, keeping the door from making any noise. Holding his breath, Liam waited for any sign that he'd been noticed.

The voices grew louder but still not understandable. Soon, they grew distant and then it was quiet again. _They must have headed outside._ Shakily letting out stale air, Liam relaxed. He made his way up the stairs. It was time for a little theft.

* * *

Liam pushed back feelings of guilt as he tied his recently acquired tennis shoes. These kids didn't have much and here he was taking from them. _I'll make a personal donation later… or I'll have someone do it for me._

Who knows when he'd next be able to access Major Kincaid's bank account, much less _be_ Major Kincaid.

He made his way down the stairs and back to the hallway. Changing into something closer to him in size had given him back some confidence and control.

What he needed to do was get in contact with Lili. He'd tried his global upstairs but it'd been fried by the energy surge in his body. His clothes had had a faint burnt smell to them as well. He figured he could filch a global off an entertainer outside and activate a preprogrammed Liberation message for help. It was a simple SOS code that luckily he still knew how to do. He would have no guilt for stealing from the nearby adults. While it seemed that he couldn't remember intricate Taelon system codes, he could remember his mother's sticky fingers. Siobhan Beckett had occasionally lifted a few wallets to help her family make ends meet.

Lili would locate the signal's origin and make her way to the orphanage. She would be annoyed that he'd managed to find trouble at the fair for the orphans, of all places, but nevertheless she'd be here soon.

With a quick look behind him, Liam pushed open the door leading outside. Not a cloud in the sky, the sun blinded him as he took a step forward and stumbled, not expecting a step. _So it might take a little longer to get used to my size then I thought_, Liam grumpily admitted as he fell, skinning his knees.

"Child, are you okay?"

Liam had heard the lyrical voice many times before, been addressed in much the same manner, but never had it caused him such fear since becoming a Companion Protector.

Slowly, Liam looked up into the concerned face of his mentor, his Companion.

Da'an.

* * *

**edited June 20, 2005**


	4. Spinning Teacups

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Earth: Final Conflict_ or any of its characters. Just my poor widdle plot.

**A/N: **Unfortunately, I am at times a lazy person. So sorry for the delay. I tried to make this longer to make up for it. Thanks so much for the reviews **wildbikerbabe, Bronny, Aki, Lady of the Dawn, Whit(Whitley?), Cyrana**!

The story is in season two after Agent Beckett dies. I think I mentioned something to that effect in chapter two.

**At the Fair**

"I-I'm fine," Liam whispered, unable to move. Da'an would know. He noticed who or what Liam was the first time they met, how could he not know? Da'an made a move to help him up. Instinctively, Liam lurched backward, away from the offered hand. He unsteadily got to his feet, keeping his eyes on the ground.

"Thank you. I'm fine, really," he blurted out. Liam had to stop his hand from covering is mouth. His voice was so high!

A woman quickly made her way over to them, seeing the incident. The tag declared her name Jamie Garrison. Liam realized she was one of the fair's people. She had been extra friendly to all Companion staff that morning, obviously a big fan of Da'an's.

"Is everything all right here?" Without waiting for an answer, she continued, "I wanted to personally thank you, Da'an, for coming today as well as everything you've done for these unfortunate children. Isn't that right, young man? The Companions have been more than generous." She frowned at Liam's shaken appearance. "You should watch where you're going."

Liam nodded his head rapidly, his eyes though looking left and right for an escape route. Da'an noticed.

"Thank you for your concern Ms Garrison and your gratitude. It was not the child's fault for our collision but rather an unexpected step and the brightness of the sun. Earth's sun so often can hamper one's vision. The sun of my home world is quite dim in comparison. It took me some time to adapt."

Garrison nodded in agreement. "I'd love to hear more about the Taelon home world if you wouldn't mind."

"Perhaps, but I would much more enjoy hearing about the entertainment being provided for the children. It is quite unusual to my people. I'm sure young –" He looked at Liam for a name.

Liam choked out, "Li- " but couldn't get out anything more. He was such an idiot. Why couldn't he think of another name to use? Da'an would figure it out now, if he hadn't already!

"I'm sure young Li here would like to find out what there is to do at the fair."

"My friends," Liam coughed and tried again. This conversation was too close to their previous discussion about what kids do for fun the other day. "My friends are waiting for me. I need to find them."

"Then you must go find them. I hope we meet again, Li." Liam took the permission with a shaky grin, nodding his head at Da'an and Ms. Garrison. Liam could feel the Companions gentle eyes following him, but when he turned around for a quick look, there was still no recognition in them.

* * *

After the confrontation with Da'an, Liam needed something to help him calm down and his stomach gave the winning idea. Liam headed for the closest food stand. 

He took the offered hotdog, larger then remembered them being, and piled on the relish. It was Augur who got him hooked on it all the while Lili crying out he was too young to eat that stuff. Augur would usually reply that just because Lili had never grown up enough to enjoy such delicacies didn't mean that Liam should be deprived.

Liam took a large bit and immediately wanted to spit it back out. Foul! Forcefully he swallowed it. Looking around, he found a trash can and immediately pitched the offending dog.

"Must be something wrong with it," Liam muttered to himself.

Sipping on his soda, Liam started wandering around the fair, taking in the sights, and looking for an appropriate mark from which to lift the needed global. To his left was a Farris wheel and next to it a funny looking ride that spun in circles. To Liam's bafflement, the seats were grouped in what looked to be large cups. Each ride had a line of eager looking kids. Along with the children in the new orphanage were groups of kids from the local schools. The idea of course was to help the orphans get along with the localswhile more permanent homes were being found for them. So far, very few had.

After watching severalgame, food, and ride operators, Liam decided on the bored balding man loading kids into the funny cups. There were long moments when his global was out of his sight, sitting on a table near the console filled with levers and buttons, when the man was making sure everyone was secure in their seats. Set in his course, Liam threw away his drink and got in line.

What Liam hadn't taken into account was how _long_ it took to get close enough to the global, slowly going through the ride line. It may have only taken ten minutes, but to Liam's new short attention span, it felt an eternity. Finally, it was in reach.

His hand was inches away when the global beeped. Startled, Liam jumped back. Good thing to as the bald man swooped down on the global. Giving Liam a glare, he answered it. Liam took a few steps away into the line. Looks like he'd have to give the ride a go. _Besides,_ he reasoned, _I might as well try to enjoy myself_.

Liam tried to remember that thought as the bald man tightened his seatbelt on his seat in the cup. Pushing down his nervousness, he gave a weak grin to the two boys belted in across from him.

"Hi, I'm Jason," said the blond haired skinny boy. "Have you been on this before? You look too scared to have been."

"I'm not scared!" Liam defended. Just because he was cautious was no reason to call him scared.

"Jason! Don't mind my brother. He just loves rides, especially roller coasters. Too bad they don't have any here. I'm Josh." The older brown haired boy gave Liam an evil grin. "Don't worry. You'll enjoy the spinning teacups."

Deciding not to ponder that grin at the moment, Liam introduced himself. "My name's Li. I'm sure I will enjoy the teacups. Why do you call them spinning though? They just go in a wide circle." As the two boys grinned at each other, the ride started moving.

"Just follow our lead!" With that, they started twisting the wheel in the center of their cup. Liam wasn't sure he liked that.

* * *

Hovering over a trash can, puking his guts out, Liam was sure he didn't like the spinning teacups, especially when they were spinning. On the bright side, he was now sitting next to the global and better than that, he'd spotted another global in a backpack under the table while he was hunched over the trash. If he took that one, no one would realize it was gone, much less that he was the thief. As soon as his stomach got with the program, he was all set to go. 

"You all right, boy? It's all good, some people just don't have the stomach for rides. Takes the iron strong constitution of a pilot to handle some of these, especially the way those other youngsters had your cup spinning. Here," he handed Liam a paper cup," drink some water to rinse out your mouth."

Liam took the cup, still shocked at the idea that he didn't have the stomach to be a pilot at the moment. What if that was still true when he grew up again? He was still sipping water when the man left to get the next group settled on the teacups.

Straightening up, Liam glanced around to see if anyone was watching him. Leaning over to throw away his cup, Liam swiped up the global and deposited it in his waistband. Casually standing up, Liam made his getaway.

It wasn't until he was seated behind a couple bushes at the edge of the fair that he relaxed. Quickly, Liam punched out the proper address and code to send his emergency message. It seemed to have been hours since his transformation but in fact he was only now late for his meeting with Doors. Lili would be here soon. He just had to make until then.

With his eyes closed, Liam took a few relaxing breathes. He would just stay put for now. Eveything would work out soon.


	5. Where is Liam?

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Earth: Final Conflict_ or any of its characters. Just my poor widdle plot.

**A/N: **Argggg! I've had this done for almost a week and could never find time to type and post it. Thanks for the poke to get this chapter out **pleading fan**. Also thanks to** Bronny, Aki, **and **Lady of the Dawn** for reviewing the last chapter. And ……on with the show!

**At the Fair**

"Where is the brat!" growled Doors. "He thinks too much of his position if he thinks he can lightly dismiss a scheduled meeting with the leader of the Liberation!"

"Jonathan, his schedule is at the mercy of both Sandoval and Da'an. Who knows what kind of last minute tasks they could set him up for? He'll be here the second he can escape," Lili assured her boss. She had been working under Doors for years now, since the arrival of the Taelons, and never had she seen Doors express such aggression and distaste towards someone that wasn't an enemy like he did towards Liam. It was getting harder to keep Liam off Door's enemy list and she was getting worried.

"That hybrid still needs a lesson in humility, one of many traits he doesn't seems to possess," Doors replied, his disgust quite obvious. Lily reflected that her opinion of anything nonhuman used to be very similar to Jonathan's. Before Liam.

No, it was earlier than that. Boone had served the Liberation and Da'an, just as Liam did now, had in fact worked to show Da'an that humans were more then the Taelons believe them to be. At the same time he showed Da'an what it meant to be human, he'd shown her there was more to the Taelons then just alien deception. She missed him so much.

Boone opened both their eyes. Not only that, but he had made a place in Lily's heart and Da'an's beliefs for Liam.

her relationship with the young hybrid was quite confusing. On the surface, he was coworker and comrade. They worked together for Da'an protecting him and sharing viewpoints of their respective species to create understanding. They were also Liberation spies, fighting to protect humanity and expose the Taelon's true agenda on Earth. Personally, it became even more dichotic.

He was her friend, best friend at times, and sometimes she forgot he wasn't only that. She knew he saw her as some mixture of aunt and older sister. In the panicked edges of her mind she could sometimes admit she was one of the precious few maternal figures in his life and the only one he had any regular contact with. Dr. Parks was too involved in the Liberation for Liam to see too often. He only saw her for his monthly checkups. Even while his mother was alive, it had always been too dangerous for Liam to make any kind of personal connection.

Lily knew she didn't do a good job on her promise to watch over Beckett's son. She'd made that promise, along with Augur in a rare moment of sympathetic maternal compassion. That little boy had tugged on her heart and it didn't matter that he wasn't fully human. His body grew into that of an adult in minutes, but that connection to the little boy inside was still there. He was special.

Only sometimes, when a look she didn't understand came over his features did his Kimera heritage cause her unease.

Within such a short amount of time, Liam became very self-sufficient for the most part. It was to Lily's guilt that she left him to his own devices so often. She recalled his first weeks with fondness. In private, he would blurt out the most obvious things and didn't screen his words at all. She Augur had been often left speechless with astonishment or embarrassment. More often though it had been breathless with shared laughter. When Liam was finally no longer confused with daily human life, Lily had justified her withdrawal as a natural separation; her boy had grown inside to match his physical age. He wouldn't want her hovering around him and it could in fact endanger Liam.

It was only recently, since his mother's death, that she saw how wrong she'd been. He still acted the adult in public and for the most part in private. That was how he had fooled her. Now though, she could see the bewilderment, the aching loss in his eyes. It made her want to hold him tight and whisper comforting platitudes into his adult ears, to reach and comfort the child inside. She hadn't been able to yet. The distance she'd placed between them in treating him as an adult, instead of the man-child he was, kept him from her. Her goal now, aside from protecting him for Doors and the Taelons (enough in its own right), was to somehow get back her earlier relationship. That goal was both hers and Augur's; they'd talked about their pseudo foster son and agreed that they'd both messed up somewhere. In fear, she and Augur had backed away from the unexpected responsibility of raising an alien hybrid. That and the powered emotions he engendered in them. Now it was time to take that responsibility and emotion firmly in hand.

* * *

Her global rang, interrupting the silence that had sprung up as Lily though over her relationship with Liam. Doors looked up from his paperwork impatiently.

"Answer it. It had better be him." No need to ask who.

Lily opened the global and held back a frown. It was an emergency beacon from Liam, one of the several set up for those in undercover positions for the Liberation. This one meant help but that the one sending the signal was not yet in mortal danger. Lily mentally snorted. With Liam it was almost always mortal danger.

"It's a beacon from Liam. He needs help but doesn't seem to be in immediate trouble."

"Everyone is busy, getting ready to act on the information he was supposed to be here to provide. You're going to have to go drag him back here captain alone. We need that information on the security system."

Lily just nodded, not trusting herself to not make a comment. She knew Liam hadn't been able to get much. It was almost as if Doors had set Liam up to fail. Anyway, it was time to see what trouble Liam had got into now.

* * *

_It was strange_, Liam thought. It didn't seem to matter where you were, whether it was Ireland, the islands, or Washington DC. _You could always spot a rabbit in the clouds if you waited long enough_. Of all the things he could have suspected his parents would have in common, cloud watching wasn't one of them.

More childhood memories from his parents were trickling into his conscious mind. It probably had to do with his current age, but Liam was too content to care. The majority of his inherited memories came to the surface only to help him survive. He'd 'known' about his mother's rock-climbing hobby because it was her way of relieving stress, something that in his life he needed. Memories from his parents were needed knowledge or skill. Sometimes they were a type of advise, showing how his mother or father handled a situation similar to whatever was his current problem. Never though were his inherited memories there for pure comfort or fun. Now though, that was their purpose, leaving Liam basking in he new thoughts.

Liam didn't know how long he laid behind the bushes staring into the clouds when Ms. Garrison's loud irritating voice brought him out of his daydreams and into a new nightmare.

"Boy! Li, if that's your name! Where are you? Several people saw you headed this way." Frantically, Liam looked for cover to sneak away in, but there was nothing.

"Come out now or it'll be worse for you. I've checked the lists of all the participating schools and the orphanage, and there isn't a 'Li' on them. I knew you didn't look properly appreciative to Da'an. Now, show yourself this instant!"


End file.
